Museum of Indian Arts and Culture | October 2025

As autumn unfolds in Santa Fe, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture (MIAC) enters the final quarter of the year with continued momentum, public engagement, and renewed commitment to its mission of honoring Native voices through art, education, and cultural stewardship. The museum’s exhibitions and programs remain a powerful platform for celebrating Indigenous knowledge while offering meaningful opportunities for donor engagement.

The museum is pleased to announce the opening of Essential Elements: Art, Environment, and Indigenous Futures, in the JoAnn and Bob Balzer Native Market and Contemporary Art Gallery. This timely and visually striking exhibition addresses climate change and environmental justice through Native art and traditional ecological knowledge, centering on the four classical elements—Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The exhibition opening will coincide with MIAC’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration, a day of free public programming featuring Pueblo food, storytelling, artist demonstrations, and two performances by the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers.

As trustees consider their philanthropic commitments this season, MIAC respectfully highlights two key areas of need:
  • The Cultural Stewardship Fund supports collaborative work with Tribal communities by covering travel, lodging, honoraria, and hospitality for in-person consultations. These visits strengthen the museum’s commitment to Indigenous leadership and cultural care
  • The School Bus Fund removes transportation barriers for rural and underserved schools, allowing thousands of children each year to experience MIAC’s exhibitions and programs in person.
Together, these initiatives reflect MIAC’s vision of a museum shaped by Indigenous voices and accessible to all. Trustees are encouraged to support one or more of these funds during this critical season of giving.
To make a gift or learn more, please visit museumfoundation.org/give-miac.

October Event Highlights
Trustees are encouraged to attend or promote the following special events:
  • Oct. 15 – Let’s Take a Look + Pottery Demo by Ray Garcia (San Felipe)
  • Oct. 24 (6–8 PM) – Makowa Star Party, featuring telescopes, food trucks and storytelling
  • Oct. 25 – Coffee & Clay (9–11 AM), Curator Tour of Makowa (12–1 PM), and Native Narratives Lecture (1–3 PM)
To support MIAC’s Exhibition Development, Education and Tribal Consultation Funds, please contact Lauren Paige at lauren@museumfoundation.org, or by phone at 505.982.2282